Playing its first game in 10 days, Huntley took some time to recapture its rhythm during Saturday’s IHSA Class 3A regional girls soccer final.

The Red Raiders earned three corners, fired a dozen shots on goal and booted even more shots that soared just high or wide of target during a first half full of close calls at the Zion-Benton net. With only a goal to show for their efforts, Huntley players emphasized composure and through balls up the field as the team regathered for the second half.

Those words quickly became results, as Huntley tallied six goals over the final 40 minutes to dominate the Zee-Bees 7-0 and secure the program’s fourth consecutive regional championship. Hailey Brandlin and Maizie Nickle each scored twice in the second half, where Huntley (14-3-2) earned 11 corners and continued to control possession.

“The first half was a little iffy, but we really showed up in the second half,” said Nickle, now a four-time regional champion in her time with the Red Raiders. “We just wanted to compose ourselves and play more through balls and connect more, so that helped. I’m super excited.”

Competing in a three-team regional and earning a bye through the semifinals, the No. 2 seeded Red Raiders pressured the No. 7 seeded Zee-Bees (6-14-1) early and often. Nickle nearly had a goal in the fifth minute and a pair of Huntley shots, one in the eighth minute and another in the 10th minute, zoomed over the crossbar and out of play.

Zion-Benton fared well in clogging the middle, but the Red Raiders found an opening in the 21st minute to score their first goal of the afternoon. Taking the ball deep inside the box, Nickle rolled a short pass toward teammate Mia Moyer. Despite Z-B goalkeeper Anette Guadarrama getting a piece, Moyer finished to put Huntley up 1-0.

“I saw Maizie coming down the line and I knew they weren’t really marking at the top,” Moyer said. “I was in between there and I saw a gap. She played it perfectly and I just tapped it in. Even though we weren’t scoring in the beginning, we kept taking our opportunities.”

Huntley’s focus on through balls paid off in a big way during the second half. In the 46th minute, midfielder Brooke Grabs threaded the needle on a left-footed pass up the field to Brandlin, who beat the Z-B defense to the goal and made the score 2-0. Just moments later, Nickle finished an Emma Emricson through ball in the 49th minute.

“I had the mindset that we were only up by one, so I had to really get locked in to get a few more,” Brandlin said. “I just locked in and didn’t think about what I was doing. We were doing better with the through balls and some give-and-gos, which opened up space on the outside.”

Once goals started coming, they didn’t stop. Brandlin cashed in a pass by Aubrey Brown in the 57th minute and shortly after, Nickle headed in a Brandlin corner kick from the far sideline to give Huntley a 5-0 lead in the 60th minute. Genevieve Adamson (70th minute) and Nyla Rueda (73rd minute) each scored off deflected saves to ice the win.

“I think we realized that, once we started to rush things, we weren’t scoring,” Moyer said. “We would just shoot it straight to the goalie. I think that, once we started to stay more composed and realize what was open and what we could see, that started giving us our goals.”

Huntley advances to the Harlem Sectional next week. The Red Raiders will take on No. 6 seed Carmel, which upset No. 3 seed Mundelein in a regional championship match Saturday afternoon. Huntley and Carmel will square off in Machesney Park at 6 p.m. Tuesday evening. The Red Raiders are seeking their first sectional championship since 2016.

“We just have to stay together and stay composed,” Nickle said. “I think that, if we just go in with confidence, then we have a chance.”